Foreword

Right, this is the second installement in my series of reviews covering the third season of "New" Doctor Who. At the moment I'm writing this, S3 has already concluded in Great Britain, but I am aware that such is not the case in most other countries. That being said, I won't put any "spoiler warning" anywhere; each review clearly states the episode it's covering and therefore I trust you won't look if you haven't seen that episode yet and don't want to be spoiled :-)

The Shakespeare Code

So, the Doctor's got his new compan....er, sorry, offered Martha a trip to thank her for saving the day on their meeting at the Royal Hope. And to be honest, although he insists he'd rather be on his own, he nonetheless offers the girl quite a treat: a travel back to Elizabethan times and a meeting with the Bard himself. Martha is delighted as soon as she figure out where, or rather, as she corrects herself, when they landed, and of course, so is the Doctor, even though he's mentioned a few times in past incarnations that he's already met him (and although Shakespeare figures out The Doctor's from "another world", he doesn't seem to remember ever meeting someone else who might have, so it is to be supposed that their previous meetings happened later in the writer's life). And as is the natural course of things, as soon as the Doctor shows up, trouble isn't too far away....

This is really a great episode, and a perfect exemple of why Doctor Who works even when it stays on the light side of things. Surely enough, some reviewers have complaint that there isn't enough substance in it. I'll admit, there isn't great existentialist questions addressed throughout the story, and it's more laughs than tears, although for those of you who absolutely need a good those of pathos there is some Doctor mopping over Rose. Ok, I'm being unfair. Although I totally understand Martha being upset over the Doctor not really seeing her, even though she's facing him on her side in a very narrow bed, instead remarking that "Rose would have known [....] Right now, she'd say exactly the right thing.", only to then dismiss Martha with a "Can't be helped. You're a novice, nevermind. I'll take you home tomorrow", for one it is good to show that he's not over Rose's loss yet, that she hasn't been forgotten. I can hear many "old school" Whovians arguing that the Doctor's companions come and go and that's how the show works. But one that needs to be taken in consideration is that Rose came into his life after the Time War, one may even imagine she was the first person he let himself get close to emotionally since then, so it does make sense that he would have connected with her in a way he would have rarely connected with previous companions. Also, him being totally oblivious to Martha's feelings, to an extent that I haven't seen even in my most calluous friends, serves as a good reminder of how alien this Doctor is, even if most of the time he appears more human than his previous incarnations

Besides, it may not be the deepest Who's ever offered, but it's such a well-paced, entertaining and fun romp that you don't have the time to worry about it; and unlike some other previous attempts at light in Whovian history, this episode actually gets better after another viewing or two because it is also very, very clever. I've always revealed in fantasy and fairy tales (a lot more than I do in science fiction; in fact, Doctor Who's the only sci-fi show I am a fan of), but I had never thought that witches would integrate well in the DW universe. Yet surprisingly enough, they found a way to explain the witches' existence in keeping with the logic of Who (if there's such a thing :p), all the while managing to make these witches do and talk exactly like you'd expect a witch to based on classical lore, down to the broom and cauldron!

And then of course, it's all about words (note the omnipresent allusions to the importance of "the right word" in this episode - some will probably take you a few watchings to catch), and at the centre of this lies the interraction between two great minds, the Bard and the Doctor. Now, I doubt very much that back when they wrote this episode, they knew that David Tennant would tackle not one, but two of Shakespeare's plays in 2008 for the Royal Shakespeare Company (and, irony of it all, one of them happens to be Love Labour's Lost, one of the two plays at the heart of "The Shakespeare's Code"). Gregory Doran certainly had yet to declare that Tennant is "a brilliant wordsmith". But it seems obvious that the script has been written specifically for him (as opposed to any other actor in the role) and he really looks like someone who's having a ball, and even if, again, this wasn't the most demanding episode in terms of acting chops, his Doctor's enthusiasm is highly contagious and carries you through the episode effortlessly. But it wouldn't be half as fun if Shakespeare didn't provide for a strong match to the Doctor's wits : luckily, although his and the writers' take on the character of Shakespeare is not necessarily what you'd expect, Dean Lennox Kelly's turn as Shakespeare is delightful and definitely up for the challenge. Martha this time around is a little bit sidelined, but although she won't have that much to do in the next episode, her interraction with the Doctor will take center stage so that's not really problematic. Besides, she's got some funny, lighthearted scenes with Shakespeare who nicknames her his "Dark Lady" (yet another clever reference to his work woven into the screenplay). Christina Cole, who plays the youngest(?) of the three witches, and the main villain, is also very good in her role

Although the best of Doctor Who Season 3 is yet to come, Martha's first time-travel adventure with the Doctor is a great ride and it definitely comes as no surprise that she'll want more after this - we definitely do, too!


A few things to watch out for

Favorite scene: I'd be tempted to say the whole thing, because the episode is very constant in quality, but probably the icing on the cake is Queen Elizabeth's entrance, from the Doctor's delight up until the arrow finishing its course in the TARDIS' woodpanel

Favorite line: This is maybe the episode where we're the most spoiled for choice, with all the references to Shakespeare's work (some more evident than others) flying around. Apart from those though, two exchanges have stayed with me:

"When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare"
"Then, I could get sectioned (!)"

"Come on, we can all have a good flirt later."
"Is that a promise Doctor?"
"Urgh. Fifty-seven academics just punched the air"

Other noteworthy stuff:

Pretty much the whole script. Again. Oh, and try and pinpoint not only all the references to Shakespeare's work and life (while there's this whole "Can I use that line" game between the Doctor and Shakespeare, there are actually a lot of references that aren't nearly as obvious throughout the script), but also to older Who (and there's quite a bit in that department as well). This should keep you busy for quite a while

Power of word though, pfffff! it only works in fiction: I keep waving my finger at our politicians when they appear on screen, calling them by their real name (Idiots) and they have yet to disappear. Or maybe I'm doing this wrong Maybe it's the finger....

When there are witches in the vicinity and a door suddenly open on its own, don't go in. Really. Just don't. Unless you've got two hearts and medical assistance in handy

Next episode: Gridlock